Resiklo

Resiklo
Japanese name
Kanjiトランスバトラー
Literal meaningTransbattler
Transcriptions
Revised HepburnToransubatoraa
Directed byMark A. Reyes
Written byMark A. Reyes
Produced by
  • Marlon Bautista
  • Dave Hukom
StarringRamon "Bong" Revilla Jr.
CinematographyJay Linao
Edited by
  • Aleks Castañeda
  • Jay Halili
Music by
  • Allan Feliciano
  • Arnold Buena
Production
companies
  • Imus Productions
  • Ignite Media
Distributed byImus Productions
Release dates
December 22, 2007
(SM Megamall premiere)
  • December 25, 2007 (2007-12-25)
Running time
110 minutes
CountryPhilippines
LanguageFilipino
Box office₱21.66 million
(MMFF 2007 run)

Resiklo (lit.'Recycle') is a 2007 Filipino post-apocalyptic science fiction film written and directed by Mark A. Reyes and starring Ramon "Bong" Revilla Jr., Dingdong Dantes, and Jennylyn Mercado. It is the entry of Revilla's outfit, Imus Productions, to the 2007 Metro Manila Film Festival.

Premise

Set in December 2021, Resiklo is the story of Crisval Sarmiento, an ex-military Colonel who leads a rag-tag group of survivors in the Philippines against the insect-like alien invaders known as the Balangs (locusts). "Because of the enormous expenditures in resources during the invasion (hinted in the movie's opening credits), the humans are forced to scavenge the destroyed landscape for anything that could be recycled and put to use at their secret sanctuary, called Paraiso (Paradise).

They are in a race against time, as in addition to the resource gathering, the survivors are fighting to eliminate the Balangs and their human collaborators, the Mutanos (mutated humans), while keeping Paraiso's location secret and along the way, uncovering the truth behind the invasion as well.

Cast

Production

The majority of the visual effects were handled by Riot, Ignite Media, and Digital Dodge, with Erick Torrente supervising the special effects.[citation needed]

International releases

In Japan, Resiklo was retitled to Transbattler (トランスバトラー), with a film poster emphasizing the presence of giant robots in the story and playing on the popularity of the Transformers franchise.[1]

In the United States, Resiklo was re-released as Transmutators in 2023, with a film poster also seemingly mocking the likes of the Transformers franchise.[2]

Critical reception

The CBCP's CINEMA (Catholic Initiative for Enlightened Movie Appreciation) gave the film a score of three out of five stars, stating it as a straight and simple sci-fi movie with an "ensemble cast that acts out the story."[3]

The mecha action scenes were dismissed as copycats of the battle scenes from Transformers. Director Mark Reyes insisted that such was not the case, stating that the concept for the movie was made before the Hollywood film was in development.[4]

Accolades

Year Award-Giving Body Category Recipient Result
2007 Metro Manila Film Festival[5] Best Picture Resiklo Won
Best Supporting Actor Roi Vinzon Won
Best Cinematography Jay Linao Won
Best Production Design Rodel Cruz Won
Best Visual Effects Ignite Media Won
Best Sound Recording Ditoy Aguila Won
Best Editing Jay Halili Won
Best Float Resiklo Won
People's Choice for Best Float Resiklo (1st Runner-up) Won

References

  1. ^ ""Transbattler" (a.k.a. "Resiklo") chronicled on Gyogyoraigyo's blog (Japanese)". Archived from the original on July 22, 2011.
  2. ^ Transmutators | Official Trailer, retrieved May 13, 2023
  3. ^ "CBCP World". Archived from the original on April 3, 2010.
  4. ^ "'Resiklo' not a copycat! Reyes". The Manila Bulletin. January 3, 2008.
  5. ^ "'Resiklo' tops MMFF technical awards". Philippine Daily Inquirer. January 5, 2007. Archived from the original on January 16, 2008.
Awards and achievements
Preceded by Metro Manila Film Festival Award for Best Picture
2007
Succeeded by